Italy highway bridge collapses in Genoa, at least 22 dead

A motorway bridge collapsed on Tuesday (Aug 14) over the northern Italian port city of Genoa in what the transport minister said was likely to be “an immense tragedy”. A section of a giant motorway bridge in Genoa collapsed on Tuesday (Aug 14) injuring several people. (Photo: AFP) The Italian fire service said that the viaduct, located in an industrial area in the west of the city, collapsed at around noon during torrential rainfall. At least 22 people were kill in the collapse, Italy’s deputy transport minister said. “Unfortunately I can confirm that 22 are dead and it’s a number that’s likely to rise,” Edoardo Rixi told TV channel Sky TG24. Italian media reported that 200 metres (650 feet) of the “Morandi” bridge had fallen away. The elevated road crumbled over a river, railroad tracks and buildings. The highway is a major artery to the Italian Riviera and to France’s southern coast. Train services around Genoa have been halted. A witness told Sky Italia television he saw “eight or nine” vehicles on the bridge when it collapsed in what he said was an “apocalyptic scene”. Cars and trucks were trapped in the rubble and nearby buildings damaged. “I’m following with the utmost apprehension what is happening in Genoa and what looks like it could be an immense tragedy,” transport and infrastructure minister Danilo Toninelli said on Twitter. Italy’s far-right interior minister Matteo Salvini said he was following events in Genoa “up to the minute” and thanked the emergency services for… [Read full story]